


The Poisened Youth (ON IDEFINITE HIATUS)

by FairyArtLover



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Abandonment Issues, Character fighting for change, Everyone Has Issues, Everyone Needs A Hug, Everyone Needs Therapy, Evie & Jay & Mal & Carlos de Vil as Found Family, F/M, Forced Prostitution, Found Family, Isle of the Lost (Disney) is a Terrible Place, Mental Health Issues, Mother-Son Relationship, Original Character(s), Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Violence, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Romance, Teenage Mother, Teenage Motherhood, Teenage Parents, United States of Auradon (Disney) Is Not Perfect, for Jay/Original Female Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:21:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22247023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FairyArtLover/pseuds/FairyArtLover
Summary: She hoped the day would come when she was away from that horrible place. She had to wait longer than she expected, but the day has finally arrived. But it turns out she has to do some work before Auradon becomes the dream place all the Isle kids need.The Core Four left a member (technically two) on the Island. They finally get them to Auradon and they realize that Auradon is not quite as perfect as they were lead to believe.
Relationships: Ben/Mal (Disney: Descendants), Carlos de Vil & Original Child Character, Doug/Evie (Disney: Descendants), Evie & Dizzy Tremaine, Evie & Jay & Mal & Carlos de Vil & Original Character(s), Evie & Original Child Character, Jane/Carlos de Vil, Jay & Original Child Character, Jay (Disney)/Original Female Character(s), Mal & Original Child Character, Original Female Character & Original Child Character
Comments: 15
Kudos: 70





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again! This is a slightly different story to what i usually write, but the idea just wouldn't leave my head! It's not as dark as the tags indicate but i will post warnings at the beginning of every chapter. I will also add or change tags as the story progresses, since i am writing this as i go.  
> Update will be sporadic, so sorry in advance. Please let me know what you think!

Evie, Mal, Carlos and Jay walked into Ben’s office. Each one settled themselves into the room with tense shoulders. Mal was perched at the edge of the prince’s desk, Evie sat at one of the chairs facing the desk with perfect posture, Carlos was seated beside her leaning forward while resting his elbows on his knees and Jay, while appearing nonchalant, was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed on his chest with his hands fisted.

“Whatever you think we stole, we didn’t.” Said Jay, trying to defuse the tension in the room, while simultaneously trying to figure out why they were there. Ben let out a chuckle at that.

“Don’t worry. Nobody’s accusing anyone of anything.” Everybody who entered the room let out a collective sigh of relief. “I called you in here to discuss a serious matter,” he made a pause, hesitating for just a moment, “regarding the Isle.” At once the tension in the room came back. Ben started to talk before anyone started to get ideas.

“The committee is meeting up next week and one of the ideas I wanted to talk about was getting more kids from the Isle to attend Auradon Prep. The reason I called you in was for you to give me suggestions on who could come. I was thinking maybe three kids, five maximum. I know Evie you wanted to bring Dizzy to Auradon and she’s one of the candidates. Do any of you have any other recommendations?” The former villains looked at each other, thinking who they could possibly choose. Carlos was the first to speak up.

“I have a cousin on the Isle, Diego, he’s part of the anti-heroes club. He helped us in the fight on the Isle.” They all nodded and Ben scribbled the information on his clipboard.

“Everyone on the Anti-Heroes club should get the chance to come to Auradon. They already proved too choose good by fighting alongside us, not to mention they’re targeted by most of the Isle now. We should get them off as soon as possible.” Added Evie. There was a moment of silence following her statement. There were more suggestions from Evie and Carlos, but nobody noticed that Jay had stopped listening and that his usual cheerful self was gone. Nobody noticed but Mal. When she got up the three of them stopped talking to look at her. She made her way to Jay and carefully placed her hand on his shoulder. He met her gaze and they stared at each other, having what appeared to be a silent conversation. After a minute he looked at Ben.

“There’s someone else you should consider.” Realization dawned on Carlos and Evies faces, and shame settled in not long after. Evie placed both her hands over her mouth and Carlos looked down at his shoes. Ben glanced between the two, noticing the sudden change in them before addressing Jay.

“Well, can you tell me about them? Who are they and what makes you think that they would choose good?” He heard Jay sigh and the group exchanged looks between them.

“Her name’s Lalasa. She’s the daughter of Shere kan and Kaa. She doesn’t live with them anymore, she got kicked out. Which isn’t unusual on the Isle, but most parents choose to keep their kids as minions. She lived in our hideout.” He stopped there and rested his head against the window. From there one could see the Isle of the Lost. Sensing that Jay wouldn’t go on, Mal picked up.

“She was a healer. She would often patch us up when one of us got hurt. She used plants and things she found on the island’s woods. I still don’t know how she managed to do it in a single day. Yzmas potions take at least a week to make.” They all started to get smiles on their faces remembering her.

“And she could cook anything out of anything. Jay would steal food for dinner and she would cook it into something edible, which doing in the Isle is impossible. But somehow she did.” Evie said with a wistful smile. Ben started to grin just from hearing about her.

“She sounds wonderful. What did you say her name was again?” He asked.

“Lalasa” They said in unsion. Ben scribbled this new piece of information on the almost full page.

“Theres something you need to know about her” Ben looked up at Jay. He noticed that everybody was tense and avoiding his eyes. He waited patiently for him to continue. “She has a kid.” Everybody waited for Ben’s reaction. They expected for him to yell, to tell them that she couldn’t come. They expected _something_. They didn’t expect him to freeze up and stare unblinkingly at them. They grew concerned when he didn’t move for a minute. Carlos stood up from his seat and waved a hand over his eyes. When that didn’t do the trick, he poked him.

“Do you think we broke him?” He asked.

“I don’t know” Said Mal with concern for her boyfriend. She came up and stood next to Carlos. She stood thinking for a moment before slapping the King’s face. Hard. He broke out of his stupor and looked accusingly at his girlfriend. He made a pained noise.

“Oh don’t be such a baby” Said Mal. He started rubbing the reddening mark on his cheek and, feeling bad, she bent down and placed a peck on his cheek. They both smiled at each other with love in their eyes. Ben knew that she didn’t need to say sorry to him because he could see it in her eyes that she was. He turned his head and with a roll of her eyes she gave him another peck on the lips. Evie, Carlos and Jay had witnessed this event what seemed like a thousand times and the couple never seemed to get tired of one another. Ben realized that he was being observed and blushed. He shook his head and a serious expression was etched on his face. He placed his elbows on his desk and rested his chin on them.

“That’s going to be a problem, you know that.”

“You could just maybe forget to mention it at the committee meeting?” He looked at Jay and shook his head.

“You know I can’t do that. If they find out when she gets here, we’re going to suffer a lot of consequences, including her.” He stared of into space for a moment, rubbing his hands over his face. He looked at the crestfallen looks on his friends faces, and a sense of determination rose in him.

“Tell me about the kid.” He made sure not show any emotion, less he give them hope. Going to council meeting with his father since he was young had it’s benefits.

“His name is Aakash. He’s the cutest little think that you have ever seen. He’s got these little dimples when he smiles and we all tried to make him laugh at least once just to hear it.” Evie made silly faces when she described Aakash’s laughs. The VK’s had fond smiles on their faces.

“He just turned two months when we left so he’s around eight months now” Added Mal.

“Who’s the father?” All the fond smiles and memories stopped and in their place were faces devoid of emotion.

“We don’t know who the father is. She never told us.”

“Why wouldn’t she? I mean you make it sounds like you were her closest friends I would even say family. Why wouldn’t she tell you?”

“You don’t have friends on the Isle, you have allies. And you don’t tell anyone your secrets.” Mal said, looking at the wall with a death glare. Everyone shared her expression. Ben was silent remembering again just how different his and his friends upbringing was. That sadness only seemed to fuel his want to bring the villains kids to Auradon.

“I’ll try to bring her here.” Tentative hope began to appear on their faces. “But I won’t promise anything. The board will take a lot of convincing, but I will fight tooth and nail for her. From what I’ve heard she’s worth it.” By the time he finished, the VKs had smiles on their faces.

“She’s totally worth it.” Nobody heard Jay whisper those words, as they were still discussing who to bring. When Mal glanced at him, he had his gaze firmly set outside the window, looking at the Isle.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This a REALLY short chapter but i'll probably upload the next one in a few days. Enjoy!

Ben was walking, more like sprinting, trying to find them. He wanted to share the good news with them. The committee had finally decided on who to bring from the Isle. He couldn’t help the giant smile on his face. He arrived at the courtyard and found them sitting at their usual tree. It was the un-official VKs tree, everybody knew not to sit there unless they were invited. He sped walked to them. They looked up at him when he reached them. He still couldn’t wipe the smile of his face and they guessed what he came for immediately.

“So, who did they pick?” Evie asked excitedly. She had her hands grasped to her chest. Everybody had similar poses to her, although much more subtle. He looked at every one of their faces and the smile on his face grew bigger, if it were possible.

“They agreed that every one of the Anti-Heroes members should get the opportunity to come to Auradon. So, the first person they agreed on was Claudine.” The group nodded, agreeing with the committee’s choice. “The second person they chose was Dizzy.” Evie let out a squeal at that and the rest looked at her with fond amusement. “They also chose Hadie. He and Dizzy won’t be attending school this year, but they thought to choose the youngest as to take them out of the Isle first.” They held their breath for the last person he was to announce. Ben took a breath and looked at them with a smile. Hope began to fill their eyes. “And the last person to be chosen was Lalasa and Aakash” Evie squealed louder than Ben thought possible and they all began to celebrate. They hugged each other and Evie had tears in her eyes. They were going to be a family again.


	3. Chapter 3

They had to wait for a month for the next Isle kids to arrive. Preparing for them was just as difficult as the first group, but now they at least knew what to do and expect. They didn’t have the marching band waiting for them, but they couldn’t avoid the school gathering around them to see the newcomers. Fairy Godmother had to be there as headmistress, but she promised to be more subdued as to not overwhelm the Isle kids. Ben as king was also there, as were the VKs. Evie was suppressing the urge to bounce on her toes and Carlos wasn’t much better. Jay and Mal were the calmest of the group but if one knew them well, they could see that they were just as excited as the rest. There was an air of nervousness around the school. Everyone wanted to meet the new students, but they were also hesitant. Although the VK had demonstrated that anyone could be good, they were not ready for another coronation fiasco.

King Ben, Fairy Godmother, Mal, Evie, Carlos and Jay were part of the welcoming party and they stood front and center. The school surrounded them in a semicircle. The welcoming party and the students were separated by King Adams statue. Ben thought it would be nice thing to show off to the new arrivals. Only Fairy Godmother, the VKs and him knew of who would come and only they knew about Lalasa and Aakash, and they weren’t sure how the student body would react to them. They knew some would treat the single mother and her son harsher than others, but they were prepared to defend and protect her. Ben had already made and attachment to her from all the stories he heard from his girlfriend and her friends.

Finally, they could see the limo pulling up. Excitement filled the air, mostly coming off the former villains. Evie did not let her excitement show. She was the picture of perfect poise. Carlos had picked up Doug of the floor, needing something to do with his arms. Mal was beside Ben her arms looped around his, her hair purple again after her trip to the Isle and her fight with Uma. She had had a talk with Ben, and they came to an agreement. After that talk she decided to keep her hair purple.

Jay was beside Carlos and he had his arms crossed in front of him with his face devoid of emotion except for the slight smirk he always seemed to carry. He was the only one who seemed to not to want to be there, but he was as nervous if not more so than the rest of his friends. He was tapping his foot impatiently but that ceased the moment he saw the limo pulling in. He stood taller, as did the rest of the crowd. The limo pulled to a stop and the driver stepped out. He walked around the car and opened the door. The first one to step out was Claudine. She stepped out with grace and looked around her, as if surveilling for any threats. She had her hair in a bob with a hat similar to her dads on her head. She was dressed in what seemed a leather coat with the top buttons made and wore black leggings. When her eyes landed on the greeting party, more specifically King Ben, she curtsied. She surprised everyone by doing that.

“Thank you, your Highness, for considering me for the scholarship.” When she rose up, she tried hard to disguise her emotions and her poker face was on. Soon everybody’s attention was directed at the high squeal that came from beside her. Dizzy was jumping up and down and she was soon hugging the living daylights out of Evie. They both had huge smiles on their faces, and nobody could help but feel happy at their reunion.

“I can’t believe how beautiful everything is here. It’s better than we could have ever imagined” Said Dizzy detangling herself from Evie. She crouched down to Dizzy’s level and gave her a sisterly smile.

“And it’s all yours now.” It was a feat for Dizzy not to start crying tears of joy at that moment, but the habits from the Isle would not be so easily broken. Dizzy joined Evie at her side, with the blue princess arm wrapped around her protectively. Hadie had already come out of the car in between the sister’s reunion and was now standing beside Claudine, looking around him in wonder.

The former villains were waiting anxiously for the last people to step out. They heard a gurgle and a woman with scars running all over her body stepped out with a baby boy in her arms. Lalasa and Aakash. There was an uncomfortable silence followed, but Aakash took no notice of it. The second his eyes landed on the four from the Isle an enormous smile grew on his face. He started clapping his hands leaning towards them. Lalasa, deciding to ignore the silence coming from the students, let him down on the cobbled floor and helped him walk towards the four. Carlos and Jay crouched down to the baby’s level and made cooing sounds to encourage him. To say that everybody was stunned was an understatement. To see the tourneys finest crouched down and making baby noises was not something you see every day. Aakash finally made it to them and Carlos picked him up.

“Los, Los, Los!” Babbled the baby. He squished Carlos face in between his chubby hands and made a concentrated face, or how concentrated a baby could look. To say that Carlos was shocked was an understatement. He looked at Lalasa with a look of wonder in his eyes. Lalasa had a shy, small smile on her face and explained to the group in front of her, ignoring the stares from every side.

“I’ve had the TV on ever since you left. He probably knows more people here than I do.” Everybody couldn’t help but smile at her quiet explanation.

The baby had russet brown skin, much like his mother. He had short black choppy hair. Just like Evie had described, had had dimple on both sides of his mouth when he laughed. His mother stood behind him, looking at him and Carlos with a fond expression. The four looked at Lalasa and she was staring at them, each cataloguing the differences time had made. Lalasa had her straight black hair in a French braid that reached the end of her back. She had a maroon printed crop top paired with baggy pants. Both hands had big, bulky rings on every finger. Her clothes did nothing to disguise her scars that ran down her whole body. She had four scars running sideways down her cheek.

Her four friends took no notice of them.

“Hey” She said. That’s all it took for Evie to tackle her with a hug. The blue haired girl shoulders started to shake and Lalasa hugged her back just as strong. Evie soon stood back, wiping the tears of her eyes. Mal detangled herself from Ben, who stood back for their reunion. She walked towards Lalasa and hugged her. The group took that as their initiative and turned the hug into a group hug, including Aakash who wrapped his arms around Jays head. They stood like that for a while, but the public display of emotion in front of a large group of people soon made Lalasa uncomfortable. She had a sheepish smile on her face and looked around at the people looking at her. The sheepish smile was gone, and a hard mask took its place. Carlos saw this and handed Aakash back to her. He knew that having her baby out of reach would only make her more tense in an unfamiliar environment, even if he was with someone she trusted. Having just left the Isle, she didn’t trust anyone but herself, not even them. Lalasa stepped back and stood in line with Claudine and Hadie. The baby kept trying to reach out for them but stopped once he looked at his mother. That’s when Fairy Godmother started to give her welcoming speech.

“Welcome to Auradon Prep!” She extended her arms in an overenthusiastic gesture. “Where the doors of wisdom never close, but the library does open from eight to eleven because we do have a thing about curfews. I’m Fairy Godmother, the headmistress of this school. I hope you enjoy your stay and feel comfortable here at Auradon. If any of you have any questions or concerns, feel free to come to my office and we can talk there.” She stepped back and let Ben make his introductions.

“As Fairy Godmother said, welcome to Auradon. I will keep this short since I’m sure your eager to go see the rest of the school. I’m King Ben and I’m sure you know the VKs.” He gestured to them. He made sure not to move towards the new students, in respect to their preference of personal space. “They will show you around the school and tell you about the classes you will be attending. The schedule isn’t set yet, you will have them by the end of the week. Take that time to get to know the grounds and get your concerns out. Dizzy and Hadie you won’t be attending the same classes. You will have some leveling course work and some readying for first year classes. You each will be sharing a room with another person.” He gave them each a warm smile and clapped his hands. “Now I think that’s enough. I’ll let you get on with the tour. If you have any questions, concerns or want to talk I’m,” he gestured behind him to his friends, “ _we’re_ here. Now, if you all will excuse me, I have some kingly duties to attend.” He made a small bow and, with Fairy Godmother, left the newcomers with the former VKs. With the departure of the king, most of the students left, but there were some lurking around to get a closer look at the newly arrived.

Evie stepped towards them, the first to formally greet the group.

“You don’t know how glad we are to have you here with us. We’ll make sure your transition is as smooth as possible.” She smiled at each of them. Claudine kept up her poker face on, but anyone could see she was much more comfortable now than she was a moment ago with the whole school looking at them. Hadie was beside her looking tiny in his clothes. He, like Claudine, was much more comfortable without strangers looking at them. He gave Evie a smile that just melted her heart. Dizzy was still clutching at her waist, intending to never let go. She had the biggest smile on her face. One couldn’t help but feel happy for her. Lalasa had Aakash’s head resting on her shoulder, who was starting to fall asleep after the day’s events. She was unconsciously rocking him back and forth on her heels. “If you would follow us, we’ll show you around the castle.” She stepped to the side and wrapped one of Dizzy’s arms around her own. She started walking forwards towards the castle’s entrance. The new students hesitantly followed her and were left in awe when they reached the former King Adam’s statue. It changed from him in his human form to a beast. Hadie gasped rather loudly and Claudine tried hard to keep her mask on. Lalasa’s eyes flew wide open and a small smile made its way on her face. She turned to her side so Aakash sleepy eyes could see the transformation. His eyes grew as wide as his mothers and he started gurgling excitedly. Everyone smiled at his excitement.

“How does it do that?” Asked Hadie breathlessly, not taking his eyes of the statue. Mal decided to answer him.

“King Adam commissioned it. He says it’s to represent that anyone can change their future, no matter who they were in the past.” The new students looked at one another and gave small, barely noticeable smiles. They moved along, entering the castle. Its wooden arches amazed them and Hadie got so lost in his excitement he nearly ran into a student. He looked up at who it was. The person wore thick rimmed glasses and had a green sweater with a bow tie under it. He gave Hadie a smile.

“Are you alright?” He asked. Hadie gave a hasty step back and into Lalasa. She circled her free arm around him in a protective matter, her other arm holding Aakash. The glare that Lalasa directed at him made even the bravest person cower. The student looked at them and gave a tentative smile, trying his best to ignore the glare. “Hello. I’m Doug, Dopey’s son. You know? Snow White’s seven dwarfs? Grumpy, Bashful, Doc, Happy, Sleepy and,” He snapped his fingers trying to remember the last of the dwarfs. “I always forget one.” He was starting to look frustrated with himself.

“Sneezy. You always forget Sneezy.” Evie came to his side and rested her elbow on his shoulder. She gave him a peck on his cheek. Lalasa tried not to let her shock show on her face. She remembers Evie saying that she would find herself a prince if she ever got off the Isle, but what she saw from her and Doug told her otherwise. She needed to talk to them privately, soon.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Hope you enjoy this chapter. It's a bit of a filler one but this story is more of a "found-family-and-how-to-care-for-one-another" type fic.   
> Enjoy! =)

They continued giving them a tour, every stop taking the breath right out of the newly arrived students. They finished it by showing them everybody’s dorm room. Claudine was sharing with Jane, Dizzy and Hadie would go to a foster home for the time being and would move in next year to the school grounds, but for the night Dizzy would stay with Evie and Mal and Hadie would stay with the boys. Lalasa had a room of her own, giving her specific circumstances. They explained to her that there would be a possibility that it wouldn’t stay that way forever, but that they would warn her should it change. It was late and dinner was being served. The newly arrived students from the Isle joined Mal, Evie, Carlos and Jay to eat. As they made their way to the cafeteria, students kept glancing and whispering at their group, most were directed at Lalasa and Aakash. The mother kept her back straight and shielded her son from the student’s eyes. Her friends around her, further providing comfort and protection. And maybe a few glares from Jay and Mal.

Ben joined their groups before they made it to the cafeteria doors. He threw his arm around Mal’s shoulder and gave her a peck on the cheek. Lalasa couldn’t help but smile fondly at the display and the blush that formed on Mal’s cheeks. Dizzy squealed, Hadie looked away and Claudine pretended she didn’t see. Ben smiled at all of them. He noticed the protective circle around the mother and son but didn’t comment on it. He started asking questions to Claudine, who in turn answered politely, if albeit a bit cold. But Ben plowed ahead. They reached the cafeteria and the look on the new VK faces was as funny as it was sad.

Hadie and Dizzy rushed to the serving table, wide eyed at all the fresh food. Claudine was bit more calm, still maintaining polite conversation with the King, but her eyes kept glancing back at the food. Ben let the conversation fall so that she could go explore the table. That left Lalasa and Aakash. When the circle broke out around her, letting her see the options, her eyes went comically huge. They nearly bulged out of her sockets. A shocked laugh left her mouth, which she quickly covered up with her free hand, the other still holding the baby. The smile was still evident behind her hand. She cautiously approached the table amazed. She turned around at her friends, who stood back to let her explore. They offered smiles of encouragement and she eagerly grabbed a tray and stood in line behind Claudine. Lalasa stubbornly ignored the stares she was getting from both students and staff members. The baby boy was entranced with the amount of food and kept trying to grab everything, tugging at his mother’s hair when something caught his attention. Lalasa grabbed one of everything, making sure to grab things that would be easy on Aakash stomach. When she reached the end of the line, she noticed a lady with a cash register and she suddenly grew nervous. Before she could put the food back, Jay stepped in front of her and payed for their food. When he was done, he shot her a wink over his shoulder and grabbed both their trays and headed for the table where everyone else was already seated. She sat beside Evie with Jay seating in front of her. She put Aakash on her knee, who had started clapping and gurgling happily. Lalasa started feeding him mashed potatoes and everybody couldn’t help but coo at how adorable he looked when he opened his mouth wide. He closed his mouth around the silver spoon and made a humming sound when he tasted the potatoes. As he was tasting the food, Lalasa took the chance to try the mashed potatoes herself. She closed her eyes when the food touched her tongue. She had never tasted something so good in her entire life. When she opened her eyes, she saw that the whole table was looking at her expectantly.

“It’s so buttery” She said with her mouth still full of mashed good. At her comment, the other three arrivals started eating the food and made similar reactions, if a bit more explicit on Claudine’s part to everybody but Lalasa’s surprise. Claudine liked to put an air of formality and politeness around her, but she was as foulmouthed as a drunken sailor when she was comfortable.

When everybody had finished dinner, conversation not exactly flowing but not horrible either, Lalasa stood up and put her son on her shoulder. She started rocking side to side. The baby had put his thumb in his mouth and had his eyes half closed. Evie had stood up and approached them.

“May I?” She whispered. Aakash somehow still managed to hear her and made grabby motions at her. The mother gave a fond laugh and gently handed him over.

“You were always better at putting him to sleep anyway.” Lalasa had crossed her arms over her chest, absentmindedly scratching at the scars on her face. Evie smiled fondly down at the half-asleep boy. She gave the other a mock surprise look.

“He’s gotten so heavy!” Evie had a smile on her face that quickly went away at what the other said next.

“Yeah, that what happens when you leave.” The look in Lalasa’s eyes was hard to bear. Evie looked down towards the sleeping baby, not able to meet the others eyes. Mal, Jay and Carlos looked away from her gaze, feeling the guilt eat up at them from the inside. They heard her sigh and they looked up to see her looking at them with a guarded look in her amber eyes. She started at each of the in the eye before landing on Evies. Ben, sensing what was needed at the time, quietly ushered the newcomers and himself to their dorm rooms. Mal shot him a grateful look before looking back at Lalasa. She still had her arms crossed over her chest, her feet apart, a stance that indicated that she was ready to fight or run. Since she didn’t have Aakash in her arms, they all concluded that she was ready for a fight.

“You left.” She said, leaving no room to disagree. They weren’t planning on doing that anyway. The four nodded their heads, all avoiding her gaze except for Evie whose eyes were locked with Lalasa’s. “For months.” Her voice broke and she had to look away from Evie, in fear she would see how much it affected her. She had known these people, trusted them, but their departure left her reeling. When she looked up, there was a fire in her eyes that left them glowing. “No letters, no calls, no nothing. You left me and Aakash.” The way she said them felt like a slap to the face. “I knew you couldn’t bring me immediately; I know how it works, but you didn’t contact us at all. For goodness sake, you went to the Isle _two months ago_!” Good thing everybody had went to their dorms because they would definitely be looking at them after the way she was talking to them. It was close to a controlled shouting, but Aakash still woke up and reached out to his mother, sensing her distress. Evie handed him to her without hesitating. Lalasa’s glare diminished when she had her son in her arms. He helped her calm down, knowing if she didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to. Aakash put a chubby hand on her cheek and babbled softly to her. He made a soft whining sound and pressed his forehead to her cheek. Lalasa smiled tenderly at her little boy and placed a hand on the back of his head, both of them closing their eyes. When Lalasa opened hers again, they didn’t glow as they did previously. Her eyes weren’t as hard to bear, but they shined with unshed tears. With a broken whisper, she asked what finally broke their heart.

“ _Why?”_ Evie, the most emotional of the group, couldn’t take it anymore and lept at her. Lalasa stood tense for a few moments before wrapping the arm that wasn’t holding the baby around her friend. Lalasa pressed her face into the crook of the other girl’s neck and let a few tears drop. They could hear Evie’s muffled sobs as she hugged the mother tightly. Lalasa stood back from Evie and hastily wiped the tears out of her face. She took a deep calming breath before continuing.

“I know you couldn’t come right away, and I understand that, but I felt like you’ve forgotten me. Abandoned me. If I had been on my own, maybe I would have felt less betrayed,” The VK’s tried hard not to flinch at her words, “but you not only left me, you left Aakash. Do you know how dangerous is to be a single _teenage_ mother on the Isle? I didn’t have protection, no one to leave Aakash to if something happened to me. I was terrified every. Single. Day.” Lalasa took deep breaths. She was vulnerable but she didn’t know if she could trust the people around her anymore. “Aakash and me would have been dead if it weren’t for the Mothers.” The whole group was shocked at her statement. They knew it was rough, but they seemed to have forgotten just how hard it was. The silence that followed was uncomfortable for everyone. Carlos was the first to get up and approach Lalasa. He stood in front of her and offered a smile. He reached for her hand and she let him take it.

“If you would let us,” he said, “We would like to be your family again. If you would let us.” He added the last part uneasily, afraid of her rejection. She looked into his eyes and smiled softly. She let go of his hand and placed it on the top of his head. Her eyes travelled to the rest of the group. She wanted these people to be her family again, she really did. She just didn’t know if her heart could take another betrayal. The hopeful look they gave her almost made her accept them. Almost.

But she would try.

“I need time” She told them. They couldn’t hide the disappointment in their eyes completely, but she noticed that the smiles they gave her were genuine.

“We will give you all the time in the world if we have to” Said Evie. Lalasa had missed her. Gosh how she had missed them all.

Carlos passed a hand through the soft hair on top of the sleeping baby’s head that was in Lalasa’s arms. A confused look came over his face. He turns it towards Lalasa from where he was looking at Aakash.

“You mentioned you couldn’t have made it without ‘The Mothers’ help? Who are they?” He made quotations marks with his fingers around the title. Lalasa couldn’t hide the bittersweet smile at the mention of the group.

“That my dear Carlos, is a story for another time.” As he did previously to Aakash, Lalasa passed her hand through Carlos hair with a fond expression on her face. He returned it tenfold. At moment like these one remembered just how young he was.

Lalasa turned to the group.

“Could someone show me where my room is? I would get lost if I tried to navigate the school on my own. It’s been a long day and Aakash is getting heavy.” They all laughed at that.

“I’ll take you.” Jay stood up and came to stand beside the mother. Lalasa gave him a small but grateful smile and the two waved their goodbyes before disappearing from the groups sight.

“This is going to be harder than we thought, isn’t it?” Asked Evie, once she was sure Lalasa was out of ear shot. The silence following her question confirmed what they were all thinking. Evie sighed.

“At least we’ve got her. Nothing bad can happen to her here.” At least, they hoped so.


	5. Chapter5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY!!! I'm really sorry to have left all of you without warning. It has been a difficult few months to adjust to. I've also beeen hit with a massive writers block but i'm trying to get out of it. Slowly but surely!  
> Anyway, hoope you enjoy this chapter! =)

Jay and Lalasa walked in awkward silence, neither one of them knowing what to say to the other after such a long separation. Finally, Jay decided to break the silence with one of the useful things he learned at Auradon: small talk.

“So, how did you like the food?” Immediately a smile lit up Lalasa’s face, the kind he only saw rarely on the Isle. It seemed like Auradon was already working its magic on her. She turned her head towards him with excitement.

“I can’t believe it! It tasted so _fresh_. The mashed potatoes,” she made a sinful noise that had blood rushing to Jay’s cheeks. He forgot how vocal she could be. “They were so buttery! I never tasted something so good.” Jay smiled at her enthusiasm and couldn’t help his own from growing.

“Wait until you taste chocolate. It’s the first thing me and Carlos ate when we got here. You are going to _die_ when you finally taste it” Her smile widened to an impossible length, not able to contain her glee at tasting new things.

“I can’t wait to get my hands on the kitchen. Do you think they will let me cook?” She looked down at her feet with a furrow in her brow. He never liked seeing that expression on her face. It only showed up when she was going down the rabbit hole in her head.

“I’m sure they’ll let you. No one can say no to you when you pull out the puppy dog eyes, and you know it.” It seemed to do the trick. She let out a short-surprised burst of laughter. She slapped a hand over her mouth trying to muffle her laughter, afraid to wake up the sleeping baby in her arms.

“It is my most powerful weapon in my arsenal. It works every time.” She said with a smug smile. He smiled at the sight. He hadn’t realized how much he missed her until he saw that smile. They walked in silence again, a comfortable one this time. He had his hands in his pockets and she still had remnants of a smile on her face. Finally, they reached her room. He made a large, exaggerated bow with that same smile he used when he knew he was being ridiculous. She couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped her at the sight.

“After you, my lady.” As best she could with a sleeping baby in her arms, Lalasa returned his bow with a clumsy interpretation of a curtsy.

“Why thank you kind sir.” This time it was his turn to laugh. He shot her a wink and opened the door for her. Thankfully his back was to her, so she managed to control the slight blush that came to her cheeks.

When Lalasa caught the sight of her room for the first time, her reaction was similar to the one she had at the cafeteria. Her eyes bugged out and her breath was stolen from her lungs. The room was everything she had never had. There was a closet to store her nonexistent clothes, a bed with a clean mattress and the biggest television she had ever seen. But what brought tears to her eyes was the crib that was across from her bed. On the Isle, Aakash had only scraps of fabric on the floor as his bed.

“He has a crib?” She asked incredulously. It broke Jay’s heart to see her reaction. Every baby should have a crib. It shouldn’t bring anyone to tears to have a bed and yet here he saw that happen, and to her. He had forgotten how bad it was on the island. He swallowed the knot that had formed in his throat and stood beside Lalasa.

“It’s brand new.” She smiled and a tear ran down her face. She didn’t bother wiping it. She carefully walked up to it and gently placed Aakash in it. The baby made some noises but continued sleeping. More tears escaped Lalasa’s eyes. They ran down her face rapidly and she tried to muffle her sound by covering her mouth with her hand. She looked at him and his heart broke for the third time that day. He made his way to her side and placed a hand on the edge of the crib. The tears would not stop but her eyes shone with happiness.

“He has a crib.” She said incredulously. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders and they both gazed down on the sleeping baby. They stood like that for a long time. Her tears had stopped, and a smile replaced it. She quickly dried her eyes and stepped away from his embrace. It confused Jay how much he missed her warmth at his side. He recovered without Lalasa noticing it. He gestured to the closet.

“There’s no clothes in the closet, but there are bottles, diapers, pacifiers and everything you would need.” Lalasa drew in a breath. She ran to the closet and ripped open its doors. Inside it were all the thing had Jay said and more. She let out a sound that was a mix of a cry and a laugh.

“Oh, this can’t be real.” She whispered. She reverently touched each item in the closet. Clean diapers, unused wipes, new baby clothes, pacifiers, everything she needed but didn’t have at the Isle. “This is a dream. It has to be” She couldn’t believe it. She had struggled every day on that island and now, to have these things handed to her as if they were nothing? It was too good to be true.

Jay stood back letting her soak it all in. He knew it was going to be difficult for her at first. None of them suffered quite as much as Lalasa had. She had suffered long before Aakash came and, as much as they loved him to bits, the Isle was not equipped to raise a kid. He hoped that Aakash could grow up here, away from the toxicity of their birthplace and he hoped that Lalasa would regain what was so harshly stolen from her. He was suddenly ripped out of his reverie when Lalasa came crashing into him with a hug. He felt her shoulders shaking and, without much thought on his part, wrapped his arms around her. She felt so small in his arms, her frame skinny from the Isle’s lack of food. He rested his head atop of hers and rubbed his hands on her back. When her shaking stopped, she stepped back and looked up at him with teary eyes but with the biggest smile he had ever seen.

“Thank you” She whispered. They stood there for a long time, just holding each other, glad to be where they were and secretly glad that they were with each other again.

Suddenly aware of how close they were, Lalasa let go and stepped back. She scratched at the scars on her face like she always did when she grew nervous. Sometimes, when she scratched hard enough, they would start to bleed. She never noticed when she did it and any time she would start one of them would remind her and distract her. It occurred to him then how many times had she started to bleed because there was nobody there to look after her. The thought sent a pang in his chest.

“Well, I better get some sleep. Aakash always wakes up early and he just started sleeping through the night.” She said with a small chuckle. Jay took that as his cue to leave.

“Ok. I’ll be on my way then.” He started walking towards the door with Lalasa. She opened the door and he stepped into the hall. Just as she was closing the door he spoke. “If you need to talk about anything or need something, you know our doors are always open. Although you have to be careful after 11. FG does have a thing about curfews.” He rubbed his neck not used to having these kinds of conversations, especially with her. He knew she wouldn’t bother any of them even if she was in trouble, but if he offered her help now maybe she would ask for it later. He really wasn’t good with these kinds of conversations. That was more Evie’s field. She gave a small nod of her head, the small smile on her face helping him relax immensely. “One of us will stop by at around 9 for breakfast and we’ll see what we do from there. Is that alright with you?” He asked

“I’ll probably be up before then but I’m not confident enough to go out and try to find the cafeteria on my own. Sounds like a plan.” They shared a smile and with a quiet ‘Goodnight’, she closed the door. He didn’t understand why there was such a huge smile on his face, and why his step was just a bit more cheerful when he walked to his dorm room, but he just chalked it up to having his friend back. Whatever the cause, it felt nice.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there again! I am starting to beat this writiers blocks butt! Heres a super long chapter because of that! I really liked how it turned out and i'll love it if you thought the same.
> 
> Hope you enjoy! =)

Lalasa hadn’t been able to sleep well, she never actually did, but with a new bed that she felt she could drown in, the lack of sounds of fighting and general misery and the new smell of cleanness, she had a hard time trying to sleep. At around four A.M she gave up and just sat beside Aakash’s crib and stared at him. It was weird not having him in bed with her. When her ~~allies~~ friends ~~abandoned~~ left the Isle, she developed the habit of having Aakash sleep with her in bed. She didn’t know why she started doing it, part of it she thought was because she needed to know he was safe and another, smaller part that she didn’t acknowledge, was because she couldn’t bear the thought of being alone. After they left, she didn’t have anyone. Unprotected, unsafe. Yes, she knew how to fight. Yes, she knew how to hide and lose the people who were after her, but it wasn’t always a guarantee that it would work. She didn’t have anyone who would look after her baby should she not return home. The thought of him alone with nobody to take care of him made her shudder and want to hold him close and never let go. She rarely left the hideout, and when she did, she always made sure to be quick about it. She had her business to keep her busy though.

She wondered what would happen to the girls now that she wasn’t there to give them what they needed. Her business flourished after she met The Mothers, having to make her remedies by the gallon. She wondered if there was a market for her here. She doubted it.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by the sounds of Aakash waking up. She shook her head and smiled down at her little boy. At least here he would be safe. She picked him up and rocked him side to side, speaking to him in quiet tones. He soon became fully awake and hungry for his food. She sat on the bed, back against the headboard and pulled her top down. Aakash immediately attached himself to her nipple and started sucking. He made happy sounds and his eyes never wavered from hers. This would always be her favourite part of the morning and how dearly she would miss it when she stopped breastfeeding. She rocked him side to side and the happiness she felt was unparalleled to anything she had experienced. This would never change, no matter where she was. After several moments of peace there came a knock on her door. She looked at the clock that stood beside the bed. The clock read 8:30. It was earlier than what Jay told her they would be the night before, so she grew weary of whoever stood on the other side of the door. Lalasa grabbed the knife Jay had stolen for her on the Isle from underneath the pillow. She had sneaked it into Auradon, the only thing she brought except for Aakash and the clothes on her back. She grabbed it tightly and hid the hand grabbing it underneath the pillow.

“Who’s there?” She asked loudly.

“It’s Evie.” Came the response. The grip on the knife loosened as Lalasa recognized the voice.

“It’s only you?” She asked. She knew Evie liked giving people surprises and at the moment she wasn’t up for one, especially with her boob out.

“It’s only me” She assured her. She quickly hid the knife back under the pillow and let her come inside. Evie opened the door slowly, first poking her head in. She waved her hand and Lalasa beckoned her into the room. She quietly opened and closed the door and tiptoed her way beside the nursing mother. The look on her face as she looked down at the baby made Lalasa face soften as they both stared down at him. His eyes never wavered from his mothers. Evie sat down on the edge of the bed and let them have this moment quietly. She knew how much Lalasa treasured these mornings. After a while, Aakash became full and detached himself with a loud ‘pop’. The mother heard Evie giggle at the sound. She maneuvered the baby around while at the same time putting her shirt back on. He sat on her lap gently bounced him up and down, trying to get him to burp. He was now looking at Evie and made to grab at her hair.

“Be careful, he’s a hair puller” Lalasa warned warmly. Evie made silly faces at him to get him to laugh and whenever she succeeded, she would laugh along with him. The black-haired mother stared at their interaction, smiling softly. “Do you want to hold him?” Evie looked shocked at the question but nodded her head as if afraid she would take the offer back. She had her arms out ready for him and Lalasa handed him over. The mother laid back against the headboard and watched as Aakash pulled at Evie’s hair like she predicted. She chuckled at the strained smile Evie had on her face as Aakash began to pull harder. Lalasa took pity on her and leaned in to detach Aakash’s hands from her hair. When he made to grab at them again the mother took his hands in her before they came near. The baby pouted and was starting to cry. Lalasa guided his hands to Evie’s cheeks and he brightened. He began to squish her cheeks together, a habit he had and would do to anyone he encountered. He had a concentrated look on his face, the little furrow in between his eyebrows enough to make the most cold-hearted villains smile. Evie’s lips puckered like a fish to amuse Aakash and he threw his head back, laughing at the sight. Evie started bouncing him lightly on her knees, the baby clapping at every bounce. The blue-haired VK turned her attention to Lalasa, who was staring at her baby boy with adoration clear in her eyes. When the other felt Evie’s gaze on her, she tore her eyes from the bouncing baby.

“Why did you come? I assume it’s not to have your hair pulled by Aakash?” Lalasa said. Evie looked a little unsure of what to say. She didn’t know how her friend would take it.

“I came to help you get Aakash dressed.” At the confused look the other gave her she felt the need to elaborate. “I know you don’t need help _dressing_ him, and I know your much better at it than I am, but you have never used a proper diaper on him and I made those clothes with a combination in mind. And, also, I thought that we could talk a little, if you wanted.” The last part was said with diverted eyes, her gaze moving everywhere except at Lalasa. The black-haired woman softly smiled and reached out to put a comforting hand on her ~~ally’s~~ friends arm. Evie turned her uncertain gaze towards her, a thousand insecurities in them.

“I would love to have your help.” They shared a smile and Lalasa stood up from the bed. She made her way to the closet and opened the doors. She suddenly grew overwhelmed with the number of things Aakash now had. She didn’t know how to use half of the things in there. She closed her eyes to try and gather her scattered thoughts. She was half tempted to ask Evie for some help, but a part of her (the part that grew up on the Isle) prevented her from calling. She let out a breath through her nose and opened her eyes again. She quickly grabbed a diaper and a package of baby wipes and closed the closet. She turned around to see Evie with Aakash bouncing on her knee, unaware of what was going through her mind. Evie looked up at her and smiled. She smiled back. She lifted her hands with the items in front of her and gestured at the blue haired princess.

“So,” she started uncertainly, “How do we do this?” Evie stood up with Aakash in her arms and walked up to the window on the side of the bed. In front of it, beside the bedside table, was a high table with a plastic cushioned cloth that Lalasa didn’t know what was for until Evie laid the baby on it. Evie wrapped a belt around Aakash that was attached to the mat. She gestured for the mother to come beside her and Lalasa quickly did. They both stared down at the squirming baby, who currently was looking up at them with a fist in his mouth.

“Do you know how to change a diaper?” Asked Lalasa.

“In theory.”

“I thought you said you knew how!” Shot Lalasa at her.

“I’ve watched some videos. It can’t be that hard, can it?”

“As a mother who has actually changed a diaper, it is.” They both stared back at Aakash who was oblivious to their argument and was waving his arms around. Lalasa sighed, placed the items in her hand beside Aakash and started to undress her son until he was only in his cloth diaper. It was a scrap of cotton fabric that they had found on the Isle. Auradon didn’t exactly send clean, unused diaper on the cargo rafts they sent to the island. So, they had to make do with what they had. Lalasa undid the knots on the sides of the DIY diaper and handed the cloth to Evie who ran to the bin on the other side of the room trying not to get any organic material on her hands. Lalasa opened the baby wipes and cleaned what needed to be cleaned. Next came the hard part: figuring out the diaper. She looked at the piece of cotton. It didn’t _look_ that different than the ones she had used on the Isle, it just had sticky pieces on the side to keep it from falling off. She shrugged and distracted Aakash as she was lifting up his legs to put the diaper on his butt. He made to grab pieces of her hair that she hadn’t put in a braid yet, but she was quick to pull back before he started tugging. She placed the front piece of the diaper over and attached it tightly, but not too tight, to the back with the sticky pieces on the sides. She undid the belt that prevented him from falling off the high table and picked him up. She kissed him all over his face while he giggled.

“It seems you didn’t need my help after all.” Lalasa looked to the side where Evie stood, her arms crossed over her chest. Lalasa picked up an undertone of disappointment but didn’t comment on it. Lalasa smiled at her and nodded to the closet.

“I do need your help picking him an outfit. He has to look fabulous for today and you always pick the best clothes.” Evie brightened up at her comment and hurried to the closet. She opened it with a flourish and stood there pretending to think, as if she hadn’t known what she was going to put Aakash in the minute she woke up that morning. Evie made a triumphant sound and turned around with a sleeveless, orange romper that would cover his legs. With it she pulled out a grey beanie that Lalasa couldn’t help but coo over.

“Perfect.” She said to the princess. Evie squealed and hurried over to her and took Aakash out of her arms.

“Go, get ready. I’ll take care of this little munchkin. You take care of yourself” Lalasa was a bit hesitant to follow her orders. She thought she could trust Evie for a few minutes, but the instincts that was so ingrained in her after all her time on the Isle roared to not let anyone near her baby boy. Evie seemed to notice, and her smile fell a little. “I won’t leave this room, and you’ll hear if anything happens.” It took a lot of effort to stifle her instinct, but she let Evie walk away. The princess reached the crib, sat down on the floor and started dressing Aakash. Lalasa stood there, stuck. She watched for a moment before she forced herself to go to the bathroom and get ready.

The night before she was so tired that she didn’t even bother going in there and just crashed on the bed, even though she hadn’t been able to sleep. When she entered the bathroom that morning, she was taken aback by its appearance. She was shocked at how _clean_ it was. On the Isle, no matter how hard you scrubbed, there would always be a lair of grime on everything. The bathroom was so white that it hurt her eyes for a moment. It smelled of soap and detergent, a smell she had never come across on the Isle. She walked up to the sink and hesitantly opened the tap, expecting a trickle to come out, like it did on the Isle. Instead a hard burst came out and it didn’t stop until she closed the tap. She couldn’t help but laugh at it and kept opening and closing the tap. She was amazed by it. She had never seen something like it before. She forced herself to stop and start washing up. She splashed her face with water and washed her hands with the new lemon scented soap. She decided then that she loved lemons. On the counter she saw a new toothbrush and a full tube of toothpaste. What they got from the cargo rafts would always be some old used toothbrush and, if they were lucky, a half-used bottle of toothpaste. She brushed her teeth and tried not to cry at the fact that everything in there was _new_. Everything was unused, unopened and clean, something nobody on the Isle had ever known. She spit out the toothpaste and rinsed her mouth. She looked up at herself in the mirror and she had to fight off the urge to sob. After all this time, after all she and her baby had suffered, they were finally here. The realization of the situation hit like a truck and she was left with tears streaming down her face. She couldn’t stop them. The emotions rolling inside her were a mix of everything: fear, joy, excitement, anxiety, nervousness, happiness. So much happiness. She finally got her baby boy away from that horrible place. Her hands were shaking from all the emotions. She looked around in the bathroom and she saw the shower in the corner. The thought of taking a shower was a good way to get herself to relax. She quickly took off her dirty clothes and stepped in. She looked at the nobs on the wall and was confused on what to do. There were three tabs. She turned the one on the right and freezing cold water came from the shower head above her. She let out a surprised squeak and shut the water off. She hesitantly turned the one on the left. Boiling hot water poured out from the shower head and she screamed at the burn. She turned it off and stood there, not knowing what to do. A knock came from the bathroom door. She heard Evie’s voice drift in from the other side.

“Are you okay in there? Is something wrong?” Lalasa had her arms crossed protectively over her chest, shivering from the cold air in the bathroom and something else she couldn’t quite identify.

“I’m okay. I’m trying to figure out the shower.” She said. A hum of understanding came from Evie.

“Try turning the two outside taps at the same time. That’ll help.”

“Okay.” She replied. She heard Evie’s footsteps fade away as she backed away from the door. Lalasa turned to the taps and hesitantly followed Evie’s advice. Water started coming out in a trickle from above her. Feeling emboldened from not getting burnt or frozen she turned the taps to the maximum. The water hit her head with a soothing amount of pressure. She turned around until the water hit her back and she started to relax. She unconsciously started to hum, and she began to clean herself. She grabbed the shampoo and she saw that it too was lemon scented. She looked down and saw that the water going down the drain was brown. She scrubbed at her hair and applied shampoo twice. She then grabbed the conditioner and did the same thing. When that was done, she grabbed the soap (lavender scented) and tried to get herself as clean as possible. She scrubbed at her nails to get all the years’ worth of grime off them, she cleaned her arms and legs, ignoring the long scars as she always did. When she was finished with all of that she just stood there, letting the water hit her back. She closed her eyes and relaxed, letting her mind blank out. She tiled her head back and let water trickle down her face, taking with them the tears that silently streamed down her face.

Knocking came from the bathroom door and Lalasa was pulled back to reality.

“I’m coming!” She shouted and turned off the water. She took the towel (the fluffiest towel she had ever had her hands on) that was hanging beside the shower and started drying herself quickly. She got out, brushed her impossibly long hair and wrapped the towel around herself before getting out. Evie was on the floor playing with a full dressed Aakash. The blue haired princess looked up at her, smiling.

“Mal just texted me. She, Carlos, Jay and Dizzy are going to be here in about fifteen minutes. Sorry to have rushed your shower.”

“It’s okay. I was finished anyway.” Evie smiled at her before playing with Aakash again. Lalasa suddenly grew sheepish.

“Evie,” she turned towards the mother, “I don’t have any clean clothes” She said looking at the floor. Evie didn’t respond. Lalasa looked at her to see she was staring at her with an unreadable look in her eyes. “It’s fine I can just use the clothes I came with, it’s just I haven’t felt this clean since I can remember and I don’t want to use the dirty clothes from the Isle but I understand it’s an inconvenience and I’ll shut up and use the clothes.” She finished rambling and was about to go back to the bathroom to get dressed when Evie interrupted her. She didn’t even notice that Evie had stood up.

“It’s not a problem, we should have thought about it sooner. I’ll go get you some clothes. Wait here.” Before Lalasa could protest, the bluenette had walked out of the room. Lalasa bit her nails. She tried to ignore the anxious feeling in her stomach and sat beside Aakash on the floor. She proceeded to braid her damp hair and wait until Evie came back.

The princess came back in no time at all. The clothes that were in her hands didn’t seem to be the style that the designer usually wore. They seemed to be made for somebody else. Lalasa stood up and approached Evie. She had a small smile on her face and thrust the clothes into her hands. Without any words, Evie ushered her into the bathroom and closed the door to give her some privacy.

She didn’t look at the clothes as she was putting them on. The fabric felt comfortable against her skin, not aggravating her scars the way most materials do. She realized quite suddenly that Evie had made these clothes for her. The realization that she hadn’t forgotten about her made tears come to her eyes. She had cried more here in the past two days than she ever had on the Isle. She rubbed harshly at her eyes, took a deep breath and stepped outside. When Aakash saw her he immediately started to clap excitedly. Evie gasped and clapped along with Aakash. Lalasa couldn’t help but blush at their excitement.

“You look great.” Lalasa was never good at receiving compliments so she picked up Aakash from the floor and kissed him on his chubby cheeks. They stood in silence that neither of them knew how to fill. Lalasa sighed and closed her eyes, avoiding Evie’s eyes.

“What did you want to talk about?” As the words left her mouth, a knock came to her door. Evie glared at the door before opening it. Her allies from the Isle stood on the other side. When Lalasa saw them, she couldn’t help the involuntary smile that spread across her face. She was still hurting from their departure, although she did understand the circumstances, but they were her family even if they never said the words out loud. Aakash leaned out of her arms and made grabby hands at Mal.

“Maly, Maly, Maly!” He babbled. Mal seemed shocked and hesitantly came forward. For the two months after Aakash had been born and before the Core Four had left the island, Mal had never once held the baby. She always played with him and looked after him, but the fae had never held Aakash. Anytime somebody would try to hand him over to her a look of panic would come over her face, just as it did now.

“It seems he wants you to hold him, Mal” Lalasa was sure she had never seen Mal looked so scared. Lalasa tried to reassure her. “He’s a bit of a hair puller, but he won’t bite.” Lalasa hoped the smile she sent the other was reassuring. Mal stood in front of her looking nervous and uncertain. After a moment of silence, where Aakash was still making grabbing motions at the purple haired girl, but now with an added pout, Mal spoke.

“How do I not drop him?” Lalasa couldn’t help but laugh. She was used to the glare the other sent her.

“By holding him.” Suddenly, Lalasa placed the boy in Mal’s arms. Mal made a sound of surprise and closed her eyes before she realized Aakash hadn’t fallen to the floor and was happily playing with her hair. The mother adjusted Mal’s arms, so they weren’t holding him like a ball. Mal couldn’t take her eyes away from the boy. As if sensing her stare, he looked up at her and sent her a dimpled smile.

“Maly!” The baby giggled. The whole group couldn’t help but share a smile at the dumbfounded look on the fae’s face. Ignoring their quiet laughter at her expanse, Mal looked wide eyed at Lalasa.

“He’s lighter than I thought.”

“That’s what happened when he mostly drinks breastmilk.” Everyone looked at her surprised.

“What do you mean he only drinks breastmilk? Shouldn’t he be eating solids by now?” Asked Jay. Everyone in the room looked concerned. Lalasa didn’t understand why.

“Don’t you remember the food on the Isle? He would have died within the week” Dizzy answered, not understanding how they could ask such a question. Lalasa shrugged at her statement, confirming what was said as if it were common knowledge, which it was for them. They’ve just forgotten it. The silence in the room grew heavy, the only sound was Aakash happy gurgles. Suddenly breaking the silence came Mal’s surprised protest by having her hair pulled particularly hard by Aakash. They all laughed and Lalasa came to detangle her baby’s hand out from her ~~allies~~ friends hair.

“So, should we get breakfast?” She asked. They all agreed and they continued talking, closing the door behind them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO SORRY!! I've been having trouble with this story and i am terribly sorry about that. It's become hard for me to write these characters and its been harder since i don't have a clear end gole in mind for them. I have events that i want to happen but other than that, no idea. If you have any suggestions, i'd love to hear them!
> 
> The way things are going, updates will not come regularly but i will make sure that each chapter is worth your while! Hope you enjoy! =)
> 
> FYI: If it wasn't obvious before i haven't read the books. All i know about the characters are from what i've gathered having read a LOT of Descendants fanfiction.

Lalasa tried to ignore the stares she was getting as she was walking down the hallway. Instead she kept an eye on Mal and Aakash and talked to Carlos about his physics project. She didn’t understand all of it, but she was happy to see him excited. They didn’t get a lot of opportunities to be excited on the Isle.

She pretended not to notice how the group surrounded her and Aakash in a circle and pretended not to notice the glares Jay would shoot at anyone who looked at her for too long.

“How was your sleepover?” She asked the group, trying to ignore all the stares. Even with Jay’s efforts there were a lot. She didn’t mind as much, but she _hated_ the way they stared at her baby. Distracting her, Evie answered her question first, smiling widely.

“Oh we had so much fun, we barely slept at all! Well, me and Dizzy. Mal slept like a log after getting her nails done.” Mal shot a halfhearted glare over Aakash’s head at the bluenette but she didn’t seem bothered by it in the slightest. Evie and Dizzy continued explaining excitedly all the things they had done last night and Lalasa was surprised at the number of things they did in _one_ night.

“I’m going to miss you” Said Dizzy looking up at Evie. Evie couldn’t hide the sadness on her face. Lalasa was surprised to see it there in the first place. On the Isle the only emotion you showed was apathy. Or anger. It seemed Auradon had already worked its magic on Evie. The look quickly went away and was replaced with a smile. “Don’t worry your pretty little head over it. We’ll get to see each other now! And I have many projects in mind.” A devious smile took over Evie’s face. Bad things tended to happen when that smile appeared. “How do you reckon we get Lalasa to help us, hm?” Said Evie to Dizzy. Dizzy pretended to think and Lalasa had to interrupt them before they got any ideas, but she hesitated before doing so. It’s not as if as she had never helped Evie and Dizzy with projects before and she did say that she will try to reconnect, but her head was filled to the brim with new information and new… _everything_. A part of her thought a familiar activity with her ~~allies~~ friends would relax her, but if she was honest with herself she was afraid. Afraid of getting hurt again by the people she cared about. So, she cowered out.

“Oh, I don’t think I’ll be help at all. You and Dizzy always had the better fashion sense.” Before either of them could protest, Lalasa turned to Jay behind her, who was currently making funny faces at Aakash to try to make him laugh. The sight made her smile. She took delight in the startled look he made at being caught. “How was Hadie with you guys? I know he can be a little skittish around new people.” The boys shot Lalasa questioning looks. She had forgotten that they hadn’t been in each other’s lives for months and that now, they were essentially new people. Strangers with history.

“He didn’t fall asleep until late. Me and Carlos tried staying up with him, but we fell asleep first. He was sleeping when we woke up this morning.” Answered Jay

“Where is he now?” She asked with dread

“He’s in our dorm room sleeping, I think. He was still sleeping, and we didn’t want to wake him up so we left him there and locked the door when we left.” Lalasa abruptly stopped walking. She shot Jay and Carlos a disbelieving look. She couldn’t believe how they could do that to the boy. But she had to remind herself that they didn’t know him as she did.

Without wasting another second, Lalasa turned around and broke away from the circle that they had formed around her. She walked with purpose to where she thought the boys dorm room was. She didn’t have to guess for long before they caught up to her and started asking questions, their hushed and raised voices overlapping. They tried grabbing at her, but she dodged their hands. Her eyes were looking at each door they passed, trying to find the one that Hadie was in.

“Which one is your room?” She asked without staring at either of them, walking down the hall and checking each door for signs of Hadie. Their questions were silenced by her voice. They had never heard her use that voice, only Dizzy had. They were scared, a feeling they thought they’ll never feel around Lalasa. That voice reminded them of what their parents would sound like. Carlos spoke up through the sudden tense air around them and gave her directions to their dorm. Soon they were standing in front of Jay’s and Carlos’s door. The one where Hadie was currently in. Lalasa looked behind her to the people who had followed her here. She shushed them with a finger to her lips and knocked on the door. Everything was silent and they heard a little sniffle from the other side of the door.

“Open the door. _Now_.” She demanded in that same voice that had them all frozen to the spot. She didn’t seem to realize what she was doing, and she was getting more impatient by the minute, making them more scared with every tense filled second. Finally, Jay pulled out the keys with a tremble in his hands that Lalasa ignored. She turned her back to them and quickly opened the door, making a bang as it hit the wall. The face that had them stuck to the spot melted away as she dropped to her knees and was barreled by Hadie running into her. It was startling to see her change her demeanor in such a small amount of time. One moment she had become their villainous parents and the next she was acting like the parent they never had. She was acting like she used to with them when they got hurt.

Nothing could disguise the sobs and the shaking of Hadies thin frame as he cried into Lalasa’s shoulders. She kept rubbing her hand up and down his back and softly whispering to him. They couldn’t hear what she was saying but as the minutes passed, the words seemed to calm Hadie down. After a few moments of them awkwardly standing behind the pair, Hadie’s sobs had quieted down to hiccups. They separated and Lalasa passed a hand through his gravity defying blue hair. They exchanged smiles, the kind people share with someone they cared about, and she gently wiped his tears with her thumb. She whispered something in his ear that made him smile and she passed a hand through his hair one more time before standing up. Hadie plastered himself to her side with Lalasa’s arm around his shoulder and they turned to the group behind them. Thankfully only they were there as everyone else was having breakfast. The air surrounding the group was awkward, confused and filled with questions. Hadie grew uncomfortable with the attention and buried his face in Lalasa’s side. Once again, she passed a hand through his hair to calm him down. Lalsa faced the confused faces of the people in front of her with a sheepish smile.

“I might have, sort of, almost, adopted Hadie. Well not really, I just look after him and, stuff.” She stuttered out. She quickly shut her mouth and bit her lip nervously, waiting for their reaction. To say they were shocked was an understatement. They kept opening and closing their mouths, a sight that had Dizzy, Lalasa and Hadie snickering, despite the situation. Carlos was the first to regain his words. He narrowed his eyes at her and asked slowly.

“How many kids did you kind of, sort of, adopted?” Lalasa was hoping they wouldn’t ask that. She looked down at Hadie and then moved her eyes to Dizzy, both of which avoided her obvious plea for help. Without help from either of them, she answered while avoiding the groups eyes.

“I lost track after the first half.”

“First half of what?” Asked Mal concerned with this new piece of information.

“First half of the turf” Her answer was met with silence. She laughed nervously, scratching the scars on her cheek. Trying to dissuade the obvious tension, Lalasa clapped her hands. “So, breakfast? I’m starving” The group nodded without saying a word, making Lalasa’s nerves skyrocket. Still, she didn’t say anything and kept a protective arm around Hadie. Once again, the group surrounded her in a circle with Jay behind her, Carlos and Mal at her sides and Evie at the front with Dizzy. From the corner of her eye she could see Jay making funny faces at Aakash who was still in Mal’s arms and who was ignoring the son of Jafar in favor of playing with Mal’s hair. Mal made faces whenever the baby pulled a bit too hard but never complained. She was bouncing him as the group walked, Aakash clapping and giggling in between pulling at her hair.

“How do you not get lost here?” She said once they walked for a while and still didn’t reach their destination. She never liked silence. Bad things happened to her when there was silence. Carlos, bless his heart, answered her.

“They do have a pamphlet with a map of the grounds. We can get you one if you want.” Lalasa agreed and Dizzy and Hadie asked if they could get one too. Carlos smiled at them and reassured them that they will.

Almost immediately after Carlos promised the pamphlet to them, their group arrived at the cafeteria. Once again, every pair of eyes were on them. The new arrivals grew tense and wore their masks. Mal didn’t hesitate in handing Aakash back to Lalasa. The baby was the only one who didn’t react to the stares. He, again, started playing with his mother’s hair.

Lalasa stood in the middle of the group, one arm around Hadie, the other holding Aakash. Even with the glares that Jay and Mal would shoot at people who stared for too long, there were a lot. An overwhelming amount. Evie kept Dizzy distracted by talking to her and getting her excited about new projects. Lalasa couldn’t speak over the rock that had settled in her stomach. She walked with her head high and her shoulders back and ignored every stare and whisper aimed in her direction. Her eyes were looking straight ahead, looking at nothing in particular. Hadie buried his head further into her side and his arms squeezed around her. She passed a soothing hand through his hair, trying to lessen his unease. She continued doing that until they reached a table. Sitting there were Claudine, who looked bored to death already, the King, who looked as uncomfortable as anyone sitting with Claudine would be, a person who Lalasa assumed to be Jane, who looked ready to run, and Doug, who looked equal part entranced and disgusted. Lalasa couldn’t help the smirk that found its way to her lips at the sight.

The four of them looked up as they saw their group approaching and their faces spoke of varying degrees of relief. Evie was the first to arrive at the table, with Dizzy not too far behind. Ben moved as Evie made her way over to Doug and gave him a kiss on the cheek which he blushed furiously at. She sat in the newly available seat beside him. Dizzy sat next to her, who never stopped looking awed at both since Evie gave the other boy a kiss. Carlos walked towards the other girl and sat beside her. Immediately the two of them began talking about plans for what appeared to sound like a date? Lalasa couldn't be sure. Mal was the third to approach the table and she sat next to the King. They shared a quick kiss before holding hands under the table. Lalasa was bewildered at the sight before her. Her (allies? Friends?) apparently now had significant others and were comfortable showing affection in public. She never thought that she would be alive to see the day. She still had her arms around Hadie and Aakash when Jay came and stood beside her. He seemed to understand her wide eyed stare. She quirked her lips, trying to convey to him how confused the scene made her, while also inexplicably content. He gave her a smile of his own before setting a hand on her shoulder. She tried not to tense at the contact but couldn’t help tightening her arms around ~~her~~ the children in her arms. She let him guide her and Hadie to the available seats beside Carlos. Hadie sat beside him while managing to never let go of Lalasa. She sat next to him with Aakash on her knees and Jay sat down on the only available seat left, which was next to her. As last night, the conversation wasn’t flowing but it wasn’t tense either, remaining in that confusing space in between.

Lalasa didn’t talk. She had to remove the arm that was around Hadie so she could feed Aakash, but the boy didn’t move from her side. They kept exchanging stares, he for reassurance and her to make sure he was alright.

Aakash didn’t eat much as he was still full from milk, but he was so excited from seeing all the food in front of him that he had managed to overstuff himself, a mistake that Lalasa would soon pay for. But the smile on his face when he was offered food made her careless.

In between giving Aakash small bites of food and making sure Hadie was alright, she managed to eat a few small pieces herself. It was the best breakfast Lalasa had ever had. She kept closing her eyes to remember the flavors on her tongue. She tried not to eat too fast, but when you have been eating someone else’s leftover rotten food for the entirety of your life, it is difficult to control yourself. In one of those moments, she felt Jay nudging her knee. She opened her eyes to look at him, her mouth full. He looked nervous and if that’s not a warning sign she doesn’t know what is. He looked behind her at Hadie and she suddenly knew what he was trying to say. She closed her eyes at the anger that surged inside her, but not at Jay. When she controlled the emotion she opened her eyes and discreetly looked at Hadie, who was absorbed in his breakfast. She sighed and turned to Jay.

“Before his father got him, his mother would lock him in a room and leave him there for hours, sometimes days. He can’t be left alone in a locked space or he gets panic attacks. He can’t quite stand the dark either but with who his father is, he had to learn to get over that fear quickly.” She looked back at Hadie. He was so small in his clothes, they practically swallowed him up. Hadie noticed her looking at him and she quickly shot him a smile. He gave her a small smile back, before returning to his food. She did the same. She could feel Jay looking at her, but she ignored him. She continued giving Aakash bites of food and gave him a kiss on his cheek with every one. He laughed every time she did it. By the fifth kiss, she noticed the silence at the table. She looked up and saw everyone’s eyes on her and Aakash. She immediately straightened up, pulling her baby closer to her. She had the sudden desire to bare her teeth, but she caught herself before she could. So, she glared at them.

“What?” She spat. If she snapped her teeth when she closed her mouth, nobody questioned it. Claudine had the gall to look smug and Lalasa was about to give her a piece of her mind but the King cut in before she could.

“It’s nothing. It’s just nice to hear Aakash laugh. Evie wouldn’t stop talking about how happy it made her to hear it.” Lalasa couldn’t help but soften and looked towards Evie, who was currently avoiding her stare with her face as red as a baboon’s butt. “Although,” Lalasa tore her eyes from Evie. The King continued talking, staring at her with a question on his mind, “why do you give him a kiss every time he eats?” She shrugged and continued feeding Aakash.

“The food that is sent to island is garbage. No matter how much I changed and tried to improve it, it would still taste like garbage. He wouldn’t eat it. So, I tried giving him a reward every time he took a bite. That’s how I get him to eat. If hadn’t figured that out he would still be drinking breastmilk, which he largely still does. That’s how I get everybody to eat.” The king had an odd look in his face, like he thought she was exaggerating but deep down was scared it would be true. She didn’t know what part of her statement elicited that expression.

“The food can’t be that bad.” He looked at Mal to deny what Lalasa said, but she stared at the table and avoided looking at anyone. He tried looking at any of the VKs, desperate for them to deny what she said but they all reacted the same. “I’m sure there must be a mistake, surely they can’t be sending garbage. Can they?”

“I’m pretty sure. I’ve been eating that garbage for the past seventeen years.” She drawled. One might say she was being unsympathetic, which she was. But she wasn’t here to sugarcoat things, she was here for a reason.

Everyone at the table looked uncomfortable but Lalasa payed it no mind. She continued giving Aakash bites of food and kissing his cheek, with the occasional bouncing. Hadie snuggled closer to her side, aware of the sudden tension. Lalasa sighed. She was tired, she was always _so_ tired.

“I thought that the affairs of the Isle were common knowledge for Auradon.” She didn’t say it in a rude or condescending tone, but rather in a neutral one. Didn’t accuse anybody while also placing blame.

“It isn’t. It’s not a subject that we talk about.” Said Doug, with his shoulder to his ears. Evie grabbed his hand under the table. Lalasa wasn’t sure if she was offering comfort or seeking it. The comment made her angry. Didn’t they think about the people they had condemned?

“Oh, that’s funny because we talk about you a lot.” Her ~~friends~~ allies sent her warning looks to drop the subject, but she hadn’t had to listen to them for a long time. “About how you left us to rot on a floating rock with no means to look after ourselves except for some garbage you send twice a month.”

“Lalasa, enough” Warned Jay, and wasn’t that funny.

“No, Jay. It’s not enough.” She wanted to continue, and she would have, had she not noticed the way Hadie had buried his head into her side and how he was shaking. Had she not noticed the way that Dizzy had made herself as small as possible against Evie’s side. But what she also noticed was that her usual bright, sunny little boy had gone quiet. The only thing she could do for them was to keep quiet. She wrapped her arm tighter against Hadie and dropped a lingering kiss to the top of Aakash’s head. Her nostrils flared and her anger still simmered at the surface, but she kept quiet. She didn’t want to scare the children any more than they were.

She took a deep breath before she opened her mouth to speak, warning stares from Jay and Mal ignored by her.

“King Ben, I apologize for my outburst. I would like to say how glad I am that you have decided to bring all the children of the villains to Auradon, and I am forever grateful that you have chosen us to be the second to arrive. But if you will allow it, I would like to talk with you about different ways to address the issue that is the Isle.” The shift in her behavior gave whiplash to almost everybody on the table. Her voice and choice of words were that suited of a diplomat. She was still bouncing Aakash on her lap, who had started to play with the ends of her hair. Ben was quick to grasp at the opportunity dissipate the tension. Although he was nervous of Lalasa. Her change in behaviors caused worry and nervousness in him.

“I would love nothing more than to discuss these matters with you. And please, call me Ben” He said with what he hoped was a charming smile, but what came of as anxious.

The tension around the table didn’t completely go away after that, but it lifted enough to let people speak around it. Dizzy was still plastered at Evie’s side, but her shoulders weren’t up to her ears. The same thing goes to Doug, who had a comfortable smile as he talked to Evie. Carlos and Jane continued talking about things that Lalasa couldn’t understand, Mal and Ben talked quietly with their heads close together and it caused a swell of warmth in Lalasa’s heart to see her (friends? Allies?) so happy and comfortable. Lalasa continued eating her food, making sure that Hadie went back to his. Aakash grabbed a handful of the small, round fruit and prompted to shove the entire thing into his mouth. She was quick to take all of them out before he swallowed. She was concerned that he would choke on a seed. He whined and she was sure he would start crying if she didn’t distract him soon. She felt a nudge on her knee. She looked at Jay. He looked nervous and was rubbing the back of his neck.

“Can I, if you’ll let me, of course. Can I, I mean would you mind,” He was stammering. Jay never stammered. He was looking at Aakash, whose lower lip had started to tremble. “Do you mind if I hold him?” He said, trying to get the words out of his mouth as quickly as possible. That was the moment that Aakash started to cry. The whole cafeteria quickly grew silent and all eyes were on them. Lalasa immediately held Aakash and stood up. She started to talk to him in a soothing voice and paced the length of the table. The glares directed at her from all sides didn’t help her nerves or Aakash’s cries. She ignored them as best as she could and focused solely on her baby. She started humming the lullaby she always sang to calm him down. She swayed from side to side. It took a while, but his cries had reduced to hiccups. By then half the cafeteria had returned to their business.

She was so focused on her baby, that she didn’t notice that Jay had stood up and walked up to where they were until he was in his line of sight. Again, he looked nervous, but now at least she knew what was bothering him. She smiled at him, one that she hoped eased his nerves.

“Do you still want to hold him?”

“I promise I won’t drop him.” He answered.

“If Mal didn’t drop him, I’m sure you won’t” Mal made an indignant noise that their table couldn’t help but laugh at. Jay held his arms out and Lalasa carefully placed Aakash in them. Jay held him as if he was the most precious thing in the world, which for her he was. Jay begun to quietly talk to him. Lalasa couldn’t hear what he was saying but she knew it wasn’t anything that would make her angry.

“Aw, how cute! The Big Bad Thief has gone soft!” The moment was ruined by Claudine’s comment. Before Jay could fire an insult, Lalasa spoke.

“Piss off Claudine” Lalasa said without turning her head to look at her. Jay was too shocked to say anything else, as were everybody else. “Don’t act as if you weren’t putty the first time you held him” She did turn her head that time and shot Claudine a mischievous grin. Claudine put her hand over her heart and acted scandalized.

“Me? Gone soft? You must be mistaking me with somebody else.” She said with a smile

“Of course, how could the Cruel and Cold Claudine Frolllo have gone soft. It would ruin your reputation.” Everyone at the table was too shocked to react to their exchange, everyone but Dizzy and Hadie who looked like they would really like some popcorn.

Before Claudine and Lalasa could exchange anymore sarcastic remarks, Fairy Godmother made their way to their table. Something in Lalasa’s gut told her to be weary of the woman, by the way she smiled to widely and how quickly she walked towards them.

Fairy Godmother stood beside their table, everyone’s eyes on her. Lalasa’s hair stood on end.

“Lalasa could we have a word?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooo!! My first cliffhanger! Make sure to hang on!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What?? A second chapter in less than a week?! It cannot be! This is unprecedented!  
> Well, dear reader, i am glad to say that this chapter was fast to write. I was very much in the zone! So, you get two chapters in a week!  
> Hope you enjoy! =)

Everyone on their table stopped talking. Lalasa straightened her back, preparing for a fight, but not wanting one with her son so close. Her mind kept telling her that this woman wouldn’t start anything dangerous in front of so many people, but her gut told her something was going to happen. Her gut refused to tell her if it was a bad thing or a good thing. She kept her expressions as neutral as possible. Her voice was politely detached as she spoke.

“Of course, Head Mistress.” Lalasa turned towards Jay and Aakash, without giving her back to the fairy. She kissed her baby’s cheek and passed a hand through his hair. To others it might seem as if she was reassuring her baby but to the ones who knew, it was an exchange that went both ways. She didn’t want to leave her baby, even for a few minutes. She was in a strange land and she wasn’t sure if she could trust anyone. She told herself that she could trust her old ~~allies~~ to watch him for a few minutes and that Dizzy and Hadie were there to stop them should they do anything. She could trust Hadie and Dizzy.

Lalasa followed Fairy Godmother away from the tables but she didn’t follow her when she made to go inside. The fairy had walked a little way away before she realized Lalasa hadn’t followed her. Lalasa stood with her arms crossed and her feet apart, daring the older woman to move her. Fairy Godmother was obviously put off by this but made her way back.

“I would rather have this conversation in a more private environment, if you wouldn’t mind”

“I would mind.” Lalasa used the little height difference she had on the woman to look down on her. Fairy Godmother was slow to hide her contempt and tried again to change her mind.

“It is a sensitive subject that we have to discuss, and it is more for your sake than mine that we should find a private place.”

“If it’s more for my sake than yours than I see no problem in staying here, were I would be most comfortable.” They started at each other, trying to change the others mind. Lalasa felt her nostrils flaring and saw the older woman’s glare intensify, but her glare was nowhere near as intimidating as what Lalasa had faced down. Still staring down at the fairy, Lalasa spoke with a detached neutral voice, one that did not match her glare.

“I find this spot perfectly private, don’t you agree Head Mistress?” And it was true. They were far enough from the cafeteria tables that no one could hear them or see them, but she was close enough to Aakash should trouble arise. She knew she was fast enough, and her hearing was better than most. She could get herself and her baby away from any trouble that this conversation could cause.

They continued to stare down at each other until Fairy Godmother pinched her eyes shut and huffed. Lalasa couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows. When the fairy opened her eyes again, a very practiced smile was on her face. The smile had the opposite effect of what a smile is intended to have. Instead of putting her at ease, it made her blood run a little bit closer to freezing.

“The matter I wanted to discuss is about your son” Lalasa was about to bolt. She did not want this woman nowhere near her Aakash. The Head Mistress presence sent warning sirens around her head and it was getting very difficult to ignore them. “More specifically, where he will be during classes.”

“With me” She said without hesitation, there was no question in her mind. The look the fairy gave her made her clench her jaw.

“I’m afraid the matter is not so easily resolved. The baby-“

“Aakash” Lalasa interrupted. The fairy gave her a hard stare (which didn’t have its required effect) and continued.

“Aakash, may prove to be a distraction in the classroom and we wouldn’t want that, now would we?”

“But you would want to separate a mother from her child unwillingly, correct?” She looked down on the Head Mistress with her arms crossed over her chest, using all the tricks in her book to make herself look intimidating. She had to give credit to the other woman, she didn’t visibly cower.

“It is for the benefit for all involved I assure you.”

“And how does it benefit my son? Or myself?” Fairy Godmother looked surer now and a moment later Lalasa knew why.

“He will be surrounded by other children his age, he will be taken care of by certified caretakers and you will be able to concentrate on your classes knowing he is secure and safe. The school has a daycare on its grounds for some of the mothers on staff. And if you have to breastfeed, we will give you a paper that will pardon you for an hour from classes. If it will help ease your mind you can go visit the daycare and look at it yourself.” Lalasa loathed to admit it but it did sound like a good idea. But again, her instincts roared to not anyone near her baby boy. She clenched and unclenched her hands, thinking. It would be good for Aakash to be around other children, but the idea of being apart from him left anxiety pooling in her stomach. Fairy Godmother, whose demeanor visibly softened, tried to reassure her.

“You can go and inspect the daycare; we can set up an interview and even you can spend a day with Aakash in the daycare to see how things work there. You can drop him off before classes and pick him up the second they end. If he’s eating solids, he can have lunch and, or breakfast there. The staff that run the day care are excellent at their job. He’ll be safe.” That last sentence nearly made up her mind, but she needed to give the place her seal of approval.

“I’ll have to see the place myself before I come to any decisions. I’ll want an interview with everyone who’ll come in contact with him, even the mail carrier.” At Fairy Godmother nod, Lalasa blew out a breath she’d been holding since she left the cafeteria. Her eyebrows creased suddenly, dread pooling in her stomach.

“What about payment? I don’t have anything on me.” She dreaded the conversation of payment, it made her stomach churn and vomit creep up her throat. Payment was the worst part of her life on the Isle. She swallowed her nausea and looked Fairy Godmother in the eye, unwavering. The smile the woman sent her still seemed forced, but she supposed that having to smile all the time and never act the way you wanted made everything you do seem a little fake.

“When we heard of your particular case the board came to an agreement. We heard from your friends that you’re very talented with plants, so the agreement specifies that you’ll have to maintain a very good grade in your mandatory course work in addition to potions and herbology, both elective courses that you’ll also need to maintain a high grade in.” Lalasa mentally cursed. That was going to be a problem. Not the herbology and potions, at least she hoped not. But maintaining a high grade in school was going to be difficult, especially for her. But she didn’t let any of that show on her face. She thought and deliberated for a few moments but she knew she didn’t have any choice They were letting her look at the place and at least gave her an illusion of a choice. The thought of leaving her baby for more than an hour made her want to vomit, but she knew that any other choice would cause problems for them. She didn’t want any problems for Aakash. She forced a pleased smile and stuck out a hand. With determination hiding her fear, she stared at the fairy.

“Deal” Fairy Godmother smiled happily and shook her hand.

Fairy Godmother made her promise to visit her office at the end of the day so she could tell her when the interview would take place and told her she needed to sign some papers. That was also going to be a problem.

The head mistress let her walk back to the cafeteria. Now Lalasa had to figure out how to do school when she had never gone to it in the first place. She cursed under her breath, anxious and afraid. Her child’s safety was determined in how well she passed her classes. She scratched at the scars on her face. She stood still letting the anxiety eat up at her.

“ _Lanata hai_ ” She said not so quietly. She was going to have a lot of trouble ahead of her, but when had she not? She straightened her back. Learning wasn’t going to be hard. She taught herself how to brew strong sedatives with only plants; she taught herself how to cook with the garbage they sent to the island and make it into something edible; she taught herself how to take care of a baby. She could learn how to read and do math. She had to.

She clenched her teeth, forced a look of neutrality on her face and stepped into the cafeteria, ready to face whatever came her way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lanata hai: F*ck, Damn it all


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: There is some implied past rape in this chapter, but it's not explicitly said and not very touched upon. If you don't want to risk it, there's going to be a chapter summary in the end notes.  
> Please stay safe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW! That was a long break. I'm terribly sorry about that. Words just wouldn come out! And they are still having dificulty. I'm afraid this is going to become the norm and i absolutely hate it. Sorry in advance!  
> One thing i want to clear up before you continue to read. If you're here for the romance between Jay and Lalasa, i'm afraid that's going to be a bit of a slow burn. There's going to be a lot of difficult things ahead of everyone and romance is going to be the last thing on their minds.  
> Hope you enjoy! =)

Lalasa stood in front of the building. It was exactly what she expected, but not at all what she imagined. It was a one-story building with bright colours decorating the exterior. She suspected that the sign on top of the doorway said the name of the day-care, ‘Hundred Acre Wood Day-Care’ but she couldn’t read it to confirm it.

Lalasa stood in front of the building with Aakash at her hip and King Ben and Claudine at either side. She didn’t fully understand why the _King_ escorted her to the day-care, but she didn’t dare question it, lest she anger him. He didn’t question why she asked Claudine to join them and she was glad about that. The building was walking distance from campus and the whole walk there was spent in awkward conversation with the occasional dry remark from the other woman. Lalasa was trying to be polite but must have come off as cold, but she knew Claudine was not doing anything to hide her blunt and abrasive personality. King Ben didn’t seem to notice and was pleasant enough, trying to make Aakash smile, a point in favour for him in her book. Aakash for his part was happy to see the sights. He didn’t stop bouncing or clapping or babbling the whole way, making it hard for her to keep a grip on him.

“Why didn’t you use the stroller? Was something wrong with it?” King Ben asked at seeing her struggle, curiosity tinging his tone. Lalasa mumbled her reply, avoiding his stare. “Pardon, could you repeat that?” Asked the King again, a nervous smile on his face. The mother sighed agitated and passed a hand through Aakash’s hair.

“I didn’t know how to open the damn thing. Nicked my finger trying.” She didn’t mention how she threw the pram back in the closet in rage, scratching the wood of the closet and how she cried at having ruined the wardrobe, expecting someone to come through the door and punish her. She also didn’t mention how much anxiety this whole thing was causing her and how the only thing that kept her calm was having her baby in her arms.

“Oh, I’ve heard that strollers in general are a bit difficult to manage. Why didn’t you ask anyone for help? I’m sure you and Claudine would have managed to figure it out.” Lalasa only hummed, not giving any real answer. He was about to ask something else, something Lalasa was sure she didn’t want to answer, when the door to the building opened and out stepped a middle-aged woman with a pink apron tied around her waist. Her brown hair was tied back in a bun and she had a certain hop to her step. She reached them with a wide genuine smile on her face. Lalasa immediately felt warm and calm around her. The woman shook Lalasa’s free hand and Lalasa noticed her hands were warm too.

“You must be Lalasa, the new mother Fairy Godmother told us about. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Kanga, the director of the day care.” She didn’t seem surprised at Lalasa’s age or seem to be judging her. Kanga had already put her at ease with that simple action. Her gut was telling her that this woman could be trusted, and her gut was never wrong. The woman turned to the remaining teenagers and shook hands with Claudine and curtsied at the King. Kanga finally turned to Aakash.

“And this must be the little dear that’s going to be joining us”

“That’s yet to be decided.” Lalasa interjected quickly. She liked to pretend she had a choice in the matter. Kanga didn’t comment, which she was thankful for. Kanga straightened up and focused her attention on their group.

“Well, I have to say I’m surprised. Most of our visits don’t come accompanied by monarchs.” She and the King laughed, Claudine’s face didn’t change and Lalasa smiled politely. Kanga wasn’t alone with her surprise. Soon, both auradonians stopped laughing. “Should we go on with the visit?” Asked Kanga.

“Should have started five minutes ago.” King Ben looked at Claudine with shock on his face, Kanga face mirroring his. Lalasa could see the embarrassed blush creeping up Kanga’s cheeks and before she could stutter out anything and make this any worse than it was, Lalasa spoke up.

“It’s called making polite conversation, Claudine, something _polite_ people do. I’m sure you’re not familiar with the concept.” She snarked with a smile. Lalasa turned to the older woman and smiled. “Ignore her. She isn’t known for being nice. Or patient.” She directed the last part to her dark-haired friend, whose only response was an eye roll.

This was _one_ of the reasons she was so glad when Claudine agreed to come with her to the day-care. When Lalasa was trying to be polite and try to be civil and has to stifle the urge to snap at anyone and take Aakash and _run_ and _never look back_ , Claudine would just say something inappropriate or be her blunt self and Lalasa could _breathe_ , because she was on a strange land with strange people but Claudine wouldn’t change, refused to. Claudine would be _normal_ and she could ignore the roaring instinct inside her to _run_.

Kanga still seemed a bit embarrassed, but still smiled at Lalasa.

“Well, let’s get out of the sidewalk and inside! FG said that Aakash was around eight months old?” Kanga led them inside and it was as colourful as the outside. Lalasa had to hide her wince at the bright colours but Claudine did no such thing. King Ben had his hands behind his back and seemed unaffected by the colours which, strangely, bothered Lalasa. It just reminded her of the difference between Auradon and the Isle. But Lalasa had practice ignoring her emotions and focused on the question Kanga asked her.

“Yes.” She answered with confidence, hiding her lack of it. A person raised by animals turned humans who never went to school and forbade said person from going, has a very different way of tracking time than other people, who have gone to school and were raised by biological, 100% humans. “He just started eating solids but mostly still drinks breastmilk.”

“That’s alright. You’ll just have to pump your milk and leave it with us when you drop him off” Lalasa was very confused. They were in the middle of what appeared to be a reception area.

“Pump…? My breastmilk” Claudine looked equally confused as her. Kanga turned towards her, looking a different kind of confused.

“Yes. You’ll have to buy a machine if you don’t have one already.” That did not help Lalasa very much.

“ _Machine?!_ ” Lalasa was now confused _and_ horrified. She looked at Claudine and saw the same expressions on her face. The look that Kanga and King Ben shared went unnoticed to the two Isle teens. Lalasa turned to Kanga “ _What_ is pumping and _why_ do I have to buy a machine and _why_ does it sound horrifying?” Lalasa tried calming herself and she was sure she had controlled her face, but her voice was laced with desperation. The King looked extremely uncomfortable, but she and Claudine ignored him in favour of staring at Kanga hiding their fear, or in Claudine’s case, her bewilderment. Kanga demeanour changed from sweet but professional, to caring and motherly.

“Pumping your breast milk is not as terrifying as it sounds, I assure you. Every mother here does it. It’s just putting your breast milk in a bottle with a help of a machine. You can store it and use it when Aakash needs to eat but your busy or for some other reason can’t feed him.” King Ben’s face was completely red, Claudine’s was mix of horror, confusion, disgust and amusement. Lalasa didn’t know what her face looked like but it must have been a mix of both.

“Why can’t I just drop by and feed him myself?” Even before she asked the question, she knew how stupid and unreasonable it sounded. But dammit, the idea of a machine anywhere near her tits was terrifying.

“It’s easier for you and for us if you leave bottles of it and we can feed him whenever he needs instead of you coming and going and taking time out of your classes.” Lalasa hated reason. She didn’t want a machine near her breast but also, though she wouldn’t say it to anyone, she didn’t want to lose one of few best moments of her day. She was frowning and refused to look at Kanga, instead looking at Aakash who was unusually calm and looking at all the colours. She couldn’t help but smile at his awe and passed a hand through his hair, planting a kiss to his cheek at the same time. She sighed heavily.

“I guess I have to buy a pumping machine.” King Ben, who still had a very red face, coughed to gain their attention.

“In the provisions we gave you when you first arrived, I believe there was one provided. It’s still in its box.” Lalasa would have laughed at the redness in the Kings face but was to busy wrapping her head around pumping breast milk.

Lalasa shook her head to get rid of the apprehension and addressed Kanga.

“I am terribly sorry for the inconvenience. I am sure that all of us would like to forget this conversation and get back to the tour?” She bounced Aakash in her arms, trying to get her nervousness out somehow. Aakash was happy to oblige, laughing with every jump. Kanga smiled that same motherly smile that somehow made her warm and reassured, which, in turn, made her apprehensive. Lalasa didn’t know those emotions could come together.

“No worries at all, Miss Lalasa. I think it would do us all well to continue. If you would follow me, I’ll show you the group Aakash would be joining.” And the tour continued.

To say Lalasa was impressed would be an understatement. Everything was clean and organized, something she knew difficult to accomplish with toddlers running around. Every staff member she met was patient and had the same warmth that Kanga possessed, even if some talked to them in the same voice they used with the children. Lalasa asked every and any question she had. Kanga was patient in answering every one of them. Everything was perfect, until.

“Who’s that?” Lalasa asked, already putting her walls up. Kanga looked at her and turned her head to where she was looking. Kanga smiled, as if everything hadn’t just gone wrong.

“Oh, him? That’s Taika. He’s one of the care takers here. He takes care of the two to three-year olds.” Lalasa held Aakash tighter. She glanced at Claudine, who also put her guard up. Claudine nodded her head at her, letting her know she would follow her lead. Lalasa squared her shoulders and let her mask fall in place.

“Thank you for the tour Miss. Kanga. I think I’ve seen all that I need. I’ll let you know if I reach a decision.” And without further ado, she turned around, Claudine by her side, leaving a very confused King and Kanga behind her. Lalasa wanted to get out of there as fast as possible, Claudine for once not fighting it over with her; Aakash gripping tightly onto her, aware of the sudden shift in his mother.

They were already at the end of the block when the King caught up to them. He stepped in front of them, stopping them in their path. He was breathing heavily and had his hands in front of him, trying to further stop them and placate them at the same time.

“What,- what happened back there?” He said, catching his breath. Lalasa had to get as far from that day care as soon as possible.

“Nothing happened. I’d seen all I needed to make my decision. No sense staying any longer. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to prepare for my first day of classes.” She side stepped him and walked faster towards the school, Claudine by her side, silent. Again, the King caught up to them. Lalasa ignored him and Claudine sent him a warning stare.

“You didn’t like the day-care?” Asked the King, trying to find out the reason for the abrupt change in behaviour.

“It was a lovely day-care, but I don’t think it’s the day-care for us.” Lalasa said, with no emotion in her voice or face. King Ben racked his brain, searching for the reason behind her change in behaviour.

“What made you change your mind? You seemed to be liking it before,” He stopped, realizing. “Is this about Taika?” He was met with silence. Claudine sent him a glare, trying to make him forget the subject. He ignored it. Lalasa was holding tighter onto Aakash and glaring ahead.

“Why would Taika make you change your mind?” He asked confused. Lalasa stopped cold. Claudine was holding her hand, both of the girls shaking for entirely different reasons. The King was either to dense to notice or brave enough to forge ahead despite it. “You have no reason to doubt him. He’s a certified caretaker, he has all the proper qualifications. He would never harm a child.” Claudine, angry at his stupid ignorance, spat at the ground. The King shut up, noticing the anger in her eyes and Lalasa tense shoulders.

“Like you have such a good track record with being able to judge a person’s character. Not like with Gaston, who was idolized by the entire town and still managed to harass your mother and who knows how many other women; or like the time with Jafar, who was the Sultans right hand man and almost succeded in marrying an _underage girl;_ or Count Frollo the high priest of Paris, who got away with doing god knows what to countless people, while still being called a holy man. No, you people have such a good judge of character that you let those people do what they pleased for _years_. And then you did such an _intelligent thing_ by letting them have free reign on an island and continue doing whatever the _hell_ they wanted, but this time with no consequences. You left _children_ having to survive living with the _foulest_ people in existence and did _nothing_ to stop them.” By the end of Claudine’s rant, she was in his face and was breathing heavily.

“Claudy,” Behind them came a whisper. Claudine immediately turned around, her anger momentarily forgotten, and ran to Lalasa. The mother was heavily shaking and wouldn’t look up from the ground. Aakash was still in her arms, whimpering and on the edge of crying, if his tears were anything to go by. Lalasa was holding onto him like it was the only thing that stopped her from breaking. Claudine put her arm around the other woman and whispered to her. The King was to far away to hear what was said, but Lalasa’s shaking subsided and her hold on Aakash lessened. The mother gave a lingering kiss to her baby’s cheek and gripped tightly on Claudine’s hand. Claudine, who still had one of her arms around Lalasa, began walking with her towards the school. When they passed by the stuck King, Lalasa wouldn’t meet his eyes, but Claudine had no problem giving him some final words.

“Excuse us if we don’t trust your judgement, but we’ve experienced the consequences of your _oversight_.” Her glare would have paralyzed him on the spot if he weren’t already. They walked away, Claudine whispering words to Lalasa, who only half heard them, her mind elsewhere.

The King watched them go, a stone in his stomach. He didn’t like what Claudine’s words implied. They brought things to the forefront of his mind that he hadn’t thought about and he wished he could go back to not knowing. But he was King, it was his job to know and look after his subjects.

Ben hoped it wasn’t to late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lalasa, Aakash, Claudine and Ben go take a look at the day care. Kanga is the day care director and gives them a tour. Lalasa is liking it so far until she sees a male carer. She then leaves quickly with Aakash and Claudine not feeling it's a safe place for Aakash. Ben tries to understand what happened. With all his questions, Claudine reveals that the Isle is worse than Ben thought and that the villains didn't stop being villains just because they were on the Isle, and were actually worse with no one to stop them. Lalasa gets triggered and Claudine takes her away to the school. Ben is confused and horrified.


	10. IDEFINITE HIATUS

Heh......Hi

I'm terribly sorry for not giving you all an update in what i have just realized is 5 months. I've metaphorically put my head in the sand with this story. Inspiration for it has been very low and writer's block has hitten me very hard in the midst of all the happenings of the world. Which is just a very long winded way to say that i am putting this story on IDEFINITE HIATUS. I am planning on returning to this story, but i don't know when that will be. It may be in a few weeks, to a few years.

I am, again, terribly sorry for doing this to you all. I didn't start writing this story with this in mind but i am going to make a promise to you and to myself that i am, one day, going to finish this and i hope that day is not very far.

Happy reading. I hope to see you all again very soon. =)


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